The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) annual general meeting last week was the shortest in recent memory.
The annual event, which provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to review the society’s activities and bring matters to the elected Board of Directors and the membership, drew a minimal turnout at the Diamond Family Auditorium on September 29.
The meeting required a full quorum of 250 members in attendance in order to proceed. However, when the requirement was not met after a half-an-hour period, the meeting proceeded with core business at a reduced quorum of 20 members.
The last time that the society achieved full quorum was at a special general meeting held in January 2015 to vote on the future of the Student Union Building and stadium projects, both now underway.
The society’s financials and the annual report for the 2016–17 year were distributed to all undergraduate students by email and both were received at the meeting. This year, the total revenue, most of which is from student fees and levies, totalled almost $11.2 million while expenses were down slightly at just over $9 million.
Vice-president finance Baljinder Bains noted that revenue from fees increased slightly because of the levy introduced to pay for the new Student Union Building and stadium.
The now defunct SFSS food and beverage operations, which included the Highland Pub and Higher Grounds Coffee Shop, brought in $694,015 this past year, down from $1.08 million in 2015–16. However, expenses also dropped to $1.09 million last year because of the closure.
Food and beverage operations were closed by the society in April and subsequently transferred to the university.
With no comments from the membership on any of the agenda items, the meeting was adjourned less than 20 minutes after it began.
“I think that’s a record time,” SFSS President Hangue Kim commented.
